澳大利亚学生文学读本（第5册）(英文版)pdf/doc/txt格式电子书下载

书名：澳大利亚学生文学读本（第5册）(英文版)pdf/doc/txt格式电子书下载

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作者：澳大利亚维多利亚教育部编

出版社：天津人民出版社

出版时间：2013-03-01

书籍编号：30143758

ISBN：9787201079950

正文语种：英文

字数：60465

版次：1

所属分类：外语学习-英语读物

西方家庭学校经典教材读本

澳大利亚学生文学读本（第5册）

澳大利亚维多利亚教育部 编

天津人民出版社

Lesson 1 A MOST LAMENTABLE COMEDY

[Here is one of the funniest parts of Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. To celebrate the Duke’s wedding, some workmen of Athens decide to prepare a play. They choose a play about the tragic deaths of two lovers called Pyramus and Thisbe. But they act so badly that instead of feeling sad at the tragedy, the Duke and his court laugh at the actors. Bottom, who thinks himself a fine actor, roars his part, strides about, waves his arms, and tears his hair. Flute(Thisbe) speaks in a squeaky, high-pitched voice. Most of the others have stage-fright and are stiff and wooden.]

Characters.—Quince, a carpenter; Snug, a joiner; Bottom, a weaver; Flute, a bellows-mender; Snout, a tinker; Starveling, a tailor.

Scene 1.—The Cast.

Scene.—A room in Quince’s house.

Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling.

Quin.—Is all our company here?

Bot.—You were best to call them generally, man by man, according to the scrip.

Quin.—Here is the scroll of every man’s name, which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the duke and the duchess, on his wedding-day at night.

Bot.—First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow to a point.

Quin.—Marry, our play is—The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby.

Bot.—A very good piece of work, I assure you, and a merry. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the scroll. Masters, spread yourselves.

Quin.—Answer as I call you. Nick Bottom, the weaver.

Bot.—Ready. Name what part I am for, and proceed.

Quin.—You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus.

Bot.—What is Pyramus? a lover, or a tyrant?

Quin.—A lover, that kills himself most gallant for love.

Bot.—That will ask some tears in the true performing of it. If I do it, let the audience look to their eyes; I will move storms, I will condole in some measure. To the rest; yet my chief humour is for a tyrant; I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in, to make all split.

The raging rocks

And shivering shocks

Shall break the locks

Of prison gates;

And Phibbus’ car

Shall shine from far

And make and mar

The foolish Fates.

This was lofty! Now name the rest of the players. This is Ercles’ vein, a tyrant’s vein; a lover is more condoling.

Quin.—Francis Flute, the bellows-mender.

Flu.—Here, Peter Quince.

Quin.—Flute, you must take Thisby on you.

Flu.—What is Thisby? A wandering knight?

Quin.—It is the lady that Pyramus must love.

Flu.—Nay, faith, let me not play a woman; I have a beard coming.

Quin.—That’s all one: you shall play it in a mask, and you may speak as small as you will.

Bot.—An I may hide my face, let me play Thisby too.

I’ll speak in a monstrous little voice, “Thisne, Thisne; Ah, Pyramus, my lover dear! thy Thisby dear, and lady dear!”

Quin.—No, no; you must play Pyramus; and Flute, you Thisby.

Bot.—Well, proceed.

Quin.—Robin Starveling, the tailor.

Star.—Here, Peter Quince.

Quin.—Robin Starveling, you must play Thisby’s mother. Tom Snout, the tinker.

Snout.—Here, Peter Quince.

Drawn by John Rowell “Nay, faith, let me not play a woman.”

Quin.—You, Pyramus’s father: myself, Thisby’s father. Snug, the joiner; you, the lion’s part; and, I hope, here is a play fitted.

Snug.—Have you the lion’s part written? Pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am slow of study.

Quin.—You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring.

Bot.—Let me play the lion too. I will roar, that I will do any man’s heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say, “Let him roar again, let him roar again.”

Quin.—An you should do it too terribly, you would fright the duchess and the ladies, that they would shriek; and that were enough to hang us all.

All.—That would hang us, every mother’s son.

Bot.—I grant you, friends, if that you should fright the ladies out of their wits, they would have no more discretion but to hang us; but I will aggravate my voice so that I will roar you as gently as any sucking dove; I will roar you an ’twere any nightingale.

Quin.—You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a summer’s day; a most lovely gentleman-like man; therefore you must needs play Pyramus.

Bot.—Well, I will undertake it.

Scene II.—The Rehearsal.

Scene—The Wood.

Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom, Flute, Snout, and Starveling.

Bot.—Are we all met?

Quin.—Pat. pat; and here’s a marvellous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn-brake our tiring-house; and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke.

Snout.—Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?

Star.—I fear it, I promise you.

Bot.—Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves. To bring in, God shield us! a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to’t.

Snout.—Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.

Bot.—Nay, you must name

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